The truth- the truth was that he had already fallen- he knew all that he had done and he could not call it any name but evil. He knew the power which cringed at his feet and leapt with impatient, impulsive agitation whenever he lifted his hand was Darkness; absolute, infinite, unrestrained power. And yet sometimes - when he meditated and reached instinctively beyond the hulking mass of writhing Darkness - he still sensed... Light. All around him, like an uplift of air, like a pure, perfect note which fired a resonant tone within his own soul. And he knew- he knew- that it too was part of him. He didn't even need to reach out to it; it was part of him.
When he listened to the secure confidence behind Palpatine's rasping, grating tones, he was so sure; so sure he held Luke. The undisputable certainty rolled out from him in waves, engulfing and suffocating, shaping reality; rolling over it regardless. Luke's own fragile faith felt pale and ghostlike by comparison, so battered and beaten for so long that these arguments were little more than a pointless game anymore; the motions they both went through out of blank, established familiarity. Even when Luke disagreed he still laughed; allowed the dissent because he knew how empty and automatic it really was. In a way that was worse; harder to fight than intimidation or pain.
He wanted to believe; wanted to believe that he still had some faith, some convictions- some principle, no matter how skewed. How broken and ragged. But if, in his heart of hearts, Luke believed he had fallen, then was it the truth... or was it simply two differing points of view; his and the Emperor's?
Which was right and which was wrong... and if everything, even truth, was subjective, then how could either be either? Or was that too just another delusion he allowed himself rather than face the truth?
He shook his head, lost.
Truly lost.
"Where did it all go wrong?" he murmured, bleakly into the darkness of the city's night, eyes on that distant horizon, the dull glow of the city burning it clear of a single star.
Though his voice had been no more than a whisper, Palpatine seemed to have heard, and answered, taking any opportunity to impose his will. "Nothing is wrong- except that you are still looking for bars to a cage which no longer exists, because you still want to believe that if you can find those bars, if you can break them down, you will finally be free." Palpatine rose and walked slowly over to Luke, resting pale, bone-thin fingers on the boy's shoulder, the gesture of empty reassurance masking his need to control- to possess. "You are already free, my friend. I told you once, long ago, that I would do anything to free you. I held true to that promise. That is why you are here today; you are exactly where you were always meant to be."
"The why does it feel so wrong?"
"That is in you, child," His voice was indulgent and condescending, like a teacher with a favored savant, "You project your own doubts onto the Force, when it has no such reservations. You are so determined to deny the truth, but destiny is a hard thing to fight. I did not make you Sith child. I only released that which was inside you already. You are your father's son and you despise him for that. That is your choice... but your heritage remains. The blood which runs through your veins is a constant. That is your strength- that is what I see when I look at you. Darkness and destiny. You think that you can renounce it; reject it, but this is the Force at its most basic- elemental. This is the power which turns the galaxy and even we cannot fight that. You think you are refusing me but you are fighting a far greater force... one that will not be denied."
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CHAPTER SIX
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The moment Luke arrived onboard the Peerless, he knew something was wrong. The moment his foot made contact with the deck, the shiver of warning ran up his spine through the Force, like being submersed in freezing water.
The Peerless had taken the opportunity afforded by its Commander's accession to Heir and his subsequent enforced stay on Coruscant to bring forward its intended visit to the Imperial shipyards at Kuat for the latest upgrades to navigation and atmospheric shields, bringing her up to par with the partially-constructed Invincible. When he had finally been given parmission to leave Coruscant, Luke had immediately set out to return to the upgraded Peerless onboard the Fury.
A full honour-guard of the 701st, the Heir's own regiment permanently attached to the Peerless, had been waiting in perfectly-lined ranks for his arrival, everyone onboard well aware of the mark of distinction which had been bestowed upon them by extension when their Commander-in-Chief had been named Heir. At two years old still the newest Super Star Destroyer in the fleet, , the SSD Peerless had become the pre-eminent vessel of the entire Imperial military; the flagship of the Heir to the Empire. Now she was slipping majestically from dock, her massive bulk dwarfing even the sprawling mass of the Kuat Drive Yards, the Fury and the Relentless forming her guard - as if she needed one.
In the main docking bay, surrounded by the bustle of official practice and parade procedures, Luke knew, awareness travelling up his body as surely and familiarly as the physical vibration of a starship in motion... something was very, very wrong. He paused, reaching out, spreading his senses thin to encompass the whole of the huge Super Star Destroyer- thousands of minds and intents and thoughts...
Already aboard, Mara had bowed and walked forward from the Command Staff to greet Skywalker as he stepped down the ramp, Reece close behind, but she had slowed to a halt as he froze. "What?"
"Shhh..." he intoned softly, manner distant and preoccupied.
Mara frowned, her own danger senses flaring in response as she glanced around. Skywalker remained absolutely still for a long time, eyes unfocused, head tilted just slightly, as if listening...
She too remained still, glancing back to Reece where he stood further up the ramp, his hand slipping casually behind his back to the compact blaster Mara knew he kept concealed there as his eyes roved the hangar.
Suddenly Skywalker set forward, jaw locked, eyes stormy.
Mara spun to keep up, "What's happening?"
"I need to go to the bridge."
"Wait- is there a problem?"
"Yes."
"What is it?" She felt that she was having a decidedly one-sided conversation here...
"I don't know yet."
As he walked through his staff, Luke glanced to Admiral Joss, who had been waiting with Mara, "Battle Stations. Full alert."
Chapter 5
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-He shouldn't be here- As he walked through his staff, Luke glanced to Admiral Joss, who had been waiting with Mara, "Battle Stations. Full alert."
The Admiral stared momentarily, taken aback- but to his credit, he was acting within seconds, pulling out his comm and issuing commands to other officers, everyone rushing to keep up. A siren blared through the massive hanger, red lights above the main entrance beginning to pulse then steadying to a scarlet glow.
Some distant feeling pushed at the back of Mara's thoughts, prompting her next words, "You should leave the ship."
He turned to her, not even breaking pace in his stride, Reese stepping closer beside him now, the blue-pauldrened stormtroopers who were his personal bodyguard pulling in about him. "How likely do you think that is to happen?"
Mara looked to Reece for support and he was quick to step in.
"Sir- is the danger connected to the Peerless?"
-Shouldn't be here- "Yes."