Stood to the rear of the raised dais, Palpatine had watched, transfixed, the slow progress of this scarlet disk across the dais as the sun had set, its course almost intersecting now with the pale polished marble of the wide circle set into the floor of the Throne Room, half to the front edge of the raised dais, the other half set into the Throne Room floor beyond, together describing a perfect circle.
As they neared, his focus changed from the ruby reflection to the complex marble inlay of the circle, a dark, dull scarlet at its edges. It had once graced the floor of the Jedi Council Chamber; it never failed to amuse him that it was now here, beneath his throne, all who approached him kneeling on it...
.
When he heard the commotion in the wide hall outside the Throne Room the Emperor didn't look, instead turning away to gaze out through narrow slit-windows and across the metropolis.
There were eight Royal Guard at the door and he'd given orders that he wasn't to be disturbed - the only way Skywalker could enter was by going through them and furious as he was, Palpatine doubted that he would choose to take them down. Or if he did, it would place him already in the wrong. So the game began-
There was a single burst of blaster fire, the ricochet loud against the reinforced doors - then silence.....
.
The massive double doors to the Throne Room burst open, rebounding on their hinges, slamming shut with a resounding boom which made the heavy inlaid metal screens about the walls tremor on their slides.
Palpatine remained still, stood to the rear of the dais in the deserted, shadowed hall, the bass sound reverberating about the grand space before the room fell back to heavy, hushed stillness.
Luke paced forward in grim silence, striding onto the dais without bowing or speaking, his breath already heavy from the clash with the Red Guard.
Palpatine did not move from the window or turn to face the boy as he came to a stop, offering no reprimand at the breach of protocol inherent in simply stepping onto the dais; to do so without the express permission of the Emperor was strictly forbidden, but then the boy knew this well so it had been a conscious decision on his part.
"What do you want?" Palpatine eventually asked, voice curt and hard.
"To end this."
"Go back to your quarters." The Sith grated, dismissive voice broaching no argument, "I will deal with this breach of trust tomorrow."
Something clattered to a halt on the dais floor beside him, catching the fading light in a bright flash. Palpatine turned just slightly, the movement slow and studied... to look at Skywalker's lightsaber on the floor by his feet...
He turned slowly away again without comment.
"Pick it up." Luke growled, stepping closer.
Palpatine finally looked to his Jedi. He was holding his father's lightsaber, a flush of blood widening about a rip in the gray vinesilk of his shirt sleeve, darkening to an ever-larger stain, the polished band to the centre of the lightsaber he held smeared with a scarlet slick- Vader's lightsaber.
The vision...the vision which had plagued Palpatine burst through his thoughts... of his Jedi holding Vader's lightsaber, hand and saber dripping with blood which seeped into the hem of Palpatine's cloak.
He looked slowly down... as the boy had thrown his own saber at Palpatine's feet, the deep wound on his forearm had flicked out a long trail of blood-red spots which spattered the edge of Palpatine's crimson gown, blooming out almost black in the low light. A slow drip fell from the unlit tip of Vader's lightsaber to the floor at the boy's foot, unnoticed.
Long seconds passed, in which Palpatine recognized the threat that he was facing - just how incensed his Jedi truly was... and for the first time he questioned whether he could control the wolf he had created; considered what it was capable of in this state-
Still, he would not concede the advantage so easily; he could yet force the boy to back down- had done so many times in the past.
"Did I teach you nothing?" he dismissed, turning away with studied assurance. "Never fight with an unfamiliar weapon- it's a glaring disadvantage."
"Then you should take the opportunity." Skywalker invited.
Without turning round, Palpatine fell back on the ultimate threat, rasping voice deadly quiet. "If you fight me now, I will destroy you. Do you understand?"
But his Jedi laughed - actually laughed - tone derisive, both of Palpatine's words and his own life, past caring anymore. "I'm nothing, Master- how many times have you told me that? I'm nothing- worthless, so how does my death matter? Who would care? I'm willing to die today if I can take you with me. I'd think that a fair exchange."
"Are you sure?" Palpatine countered calmly, though the first trails of alarm worried at his thoughts.
"I'm very sure." His Wolf said simply, and meant it. But he wasn't beyond the detached logic which enabled him to turn his Master's manipulations back on him- he'd learned his lessons too well. "You once told me that I should choose my battles, Master- only fight that which I was completely committed to winning. Well this it it - the one fight that I would pay any price to win. I just never knew quite what that was- until now."
He loosed a feral grin, the hand which held his father's lightsaber disappearing behind his back as he turned slightly, changing his weight to set slowly forward, moving to a combat-ready stance. "And you, Master- are you willing to die today?"
"No." Palpatine said, aware that his Jedi was subtly closing the space between them to striking distance, "I have told you before, I am a hard man to kill."
"And I told you the first time we met that I was not my father- you'd never control me as you did him. I told you then I'd kill you given the chance."
"And you think this is it?" Palpatine grated derisively, "You're gravely mistaken."
"Pick it up." Luke countered, unmoved.
"Look at you- you're injured already." Palpatine put all his confidence and control into his next words; to instil doubt, force the boy to back down, "You haven't the power to stand against me- not yet."
But Luke had lived too long in the Emperor's shadow now- he knew his mindgames and powerplays, knew how they worked, how to stand against them- and how to make them his own. So he only smiled wickedly against Palpatine's words, countering conviction with conviction.
"Yes I have- and you know it."
"You have no idea what I am capable of- don't make the mistake of judging me by what you have seen." Palpatine warned. "I am not your father- I will not hold back."
"No, you're not my father- so I'd caution you the same." Luke countered, unfazed.
Palpatine wavered just a fraction at the insinuation; had the boy been holding back- hiding his abilities?
Luke turned his father's lightsaber to a better grip, eyes expectant and committed and wild.
"How does it feel... Master?" he taunted into the Sith's wary silence, head dropping down and to the side, twists of unruly hair falling against old scars, mismatched eyes never leaving Palpatine's. "Nervous? Or are you simply appreciating the irony of the situation... because you did this- every time you tightened the noose around my neck you tightened it around your own."
Palpatine tried again, the threat which had held the boy for so long uttered from sneering lips, "If you lift that blade against me, Mara Jade's life is forfeit, do you understand? No second chance."
But the boy only shook his head slowly, amused, "Is that all you have left, Master? She's a poor bargaining chip - I know it's she who told you."
Intending to bring this confrontation to a decisive stop, Palpatine slowly moved his hand behind his back as Skywalker spoke, reaching subtly out into the Force, summoning the Darkness, feeling it tingling at the tips of his fingers...
"Don't dare..." his Wolf growled, head dropping, body tensing, "Don't even think that I will let you."