Saga "Your skills are complete..." ~ RoJ AU (What if Luke didn't know the 'big' secret?)

Uh oh! The confrontation is forthcoming...

Great update! Loved how you keep delving into the mind of Vader and Luke. So loving this tale of yours Keep up the excellent work!

 

You updated! *shrieks with joy.*

Yeah, tension is so thick that you could cut with a knife then eat it.

It seems that Mara is going to make a appearance.

 

Wow, all the recent up-dates send a shiver down to my spine.



So many issues, so many possible choices...

Thanks for writing this!

 

That was wonderful! Some excellent writing there. I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens.
...and sorry it's taken me so long to reply. DRL got very rough for a while but I'm hoping things are looking up.
Wonderful chapter!!

 

Fantastic update Epithee, as always!


Next: The throne room!

Can't wait!

 

up we go waiting for the next post

 

WOW! I just read this fic and I love it! You've done a great job so far. I'm looking forward to the next post. Could you please add me to the PM list?

 

Hello again everyone.

*****

Kevin_Solo:
Really glad that you?re enjoying the AU. Of course you can be added to the pm list? done. Palpatine is coming up soon.

Lady_Skywalker87:
Thanks. Yes, Luke can sense much fear troubling Darth Vader. And he seems to learn something valuable every time he probes the dark lord?s mind. I?m glad to get feedback from a fellow Yoda fan. As for the pm? no problem.

darthhelinith:
I thank you for getting hooked! You have been placed upon the pm list. Hmmm? using a Jedi mind trick to influence the author? That?s just naughty. By the way, being a sucker for redemption is a great quality.

Kynstar:
About the pm? you?re welcome. I?m glad you liked the entry. This tale consists of much pondering. It?s a huge element. The meeting approaches.

DarthCambius:
Thrilled that you like this twist upon the original. Added you to the pm list.

*****

There are more author responses coming soon, as well as the next entry. Just need to keep DRL at bay. Thanks for all that wonderful applause and the kind words.

 

I love it that Luke is a much calmer and composed Jedi because
1. Obi-Wan never said that Vader killed his father, so he never hated him (I take it he doesn't even know that lightsaber used to be his father's)
2. Vader never told him he's his father.

Even if the truth is revealed now, he should take it a lot better, being calmer and a better/stronger Jedi, it seems. But I'm sure the Emperor has a plan... even if it seems he made a mistake in not letting Vader tell Luke of his parentage.

Hey, will Mara be here? There certainly was foreshadowing for it...

Please add me to the PM list!

-Wings

 

Thanks Jade. Warm memories indeed. However, Darth Vader doesn't want to remember.

 

~7~



En route to the Emperor?s throne room, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader demonstrated stellar patience. Both men remained quiet, staring ahead at the closed durasteel door of the ascending turbolift.

The tension was surely palpable, and it seemed as if neither Vader nor Luke was going to break the uncomfortable silence. Prior to boarding the lift, both of them had stared at one another long and hard. And at some point during that excruciating process, the pair had surmised that it was in their best interest not to speak.

Disappointed, Luke arrived at the realization that he would have to abandon his original strategy. As much as he wanted to coax Vader towards the light, Luke knew that the door would slide open at any moment. Besides, it had become a contest of pure mental strength. If either man spoke, it would certainly be interpreted as a sign of weakness.

Both men had ceased any attempt to extract information from one another. They had mastered their mental shielding techniques. Even though Luke had stopped consciously probing the dark lord?s psyche, he could still feel Vader?s fortified block like a huge wall of fire scorching the nub of his mind.

As for Darth Vader, his aversion to probing Luke?s thoughts wasn?t enough to keep the onslaught of unwanted memories at bay. Images of the past flooded the dark lord?s mind, especially due to the fact that he was in such close vicinity to the boy. And miraculously, Vader was siphoning these thoughts into the recesses of his psyche, for there was one person he couldn?t bear to remember. Not here. Not now.

Luke was unaware of the pressure his adversary was experiencing. Darth Vader seemed as calm and composed as ever. Nevertheless, even the dark lord knew that he couldn?t keep the memories out of his mind?s eye forever. Soon, he would crack. It was the mere presence of the boy. The timing was most inconvenient. Vader couldn?t afford to be fighting off unwanted thoughts while facing his Emperor.

The turbolift began to slow, and would soon come to a halt. Both men began to call upon their reserve mental strength through the force. They knew what awaited them. Of course, Luke Skywalker learned of the Emperor?s capabilities through harsh warnings from Yoda. However, only Darth Vader was truly aware of the destructive powers that Palpatine wielded, for he had witnessed them first hand.

The turbolift stopped, and the gentle whirring of its internal mechanism was no more. This made the reverberation of Vader?s breathing all the more noticeable. Luke remembered a time when the wretched noise filled him with pure fear.

Back upon Dagobah, before Luke and Vader?s first encounter at Bespin, the boy had been made to enter a cave drenched with dark side aura.

Yes? the cave.

Luke considered such a memory to be invaluable. It was within this cave that the boy had stepped into a force-induced vision for the first time. The experience was similar to Luke?s recent vision of the lava world, with one important exception. The boy came to understand the symbolism offered to him amongst the cave.

The lesson Luke was taught resonated with him now more than ever. Standing there, about to exit the turbolift, Luke was well aware of his possible future. Seeing his own face in Vader?s helmet had changed the boy, and he would use that occurrence to his advantage. Pushing the image to the forefront of his mentality, it would stay with him throughout the upcoming ordeal.

Luke Skywalker vowed to himself that he would not become a Sith.

It was Vader?s breathing that had sparked the memory. Another familiar noise snapped Luke out of his thought process. The turbolift doors whooshed open. They had arrived.

The center of Luke?s consciousness was still focused upon his time deceleration technique. This allowed for much contemplation and reasoning. However, the doors were now open, and the sight of the throne room came rushing at the boy.

Eerily dim, the cavernous bay was ruled by the dark side. Quickly saturated by the aura, Luke found it difficult to learn any details about the e

 

I think that you got the Emperor's cruel nature right.

 

Luke's presence is causing Anakin to surface. And Vader is quite puzzled about it. Thanks Sara.

 

woooow.... you discribe palpys evilness really good... *shiver*
and also the "conflict" between vader and anakin...

*wants to read moooore* :3

hug niju

 

Super update and great mental battles/struggles.

 

Superb chapter! Very, very well done. You captured each character brilliantly and described the scenes with a realness as if the reader was there. Loved it and looking forward to more!

 

Fabulous update and I loved the memories that are being stirred within Vader. I also love how you write the wrinkled-one in all his evil glory. Really look forward to reading more.

 

add me to the list please

 

Thanks pebble. Qui-Gon Jinn is undoubtedly a character gem.

 

The depiction of the mental battle between Vader and Sidious was interesting.

 

Thanks. Anakin just can't keep the recollections of Qui-Gon at bay.

Your applause is truly appreciated.

 

Luke Skywalker vowed to himself that he would not become a Sith.

This vow also gives us further hope in a very dark galaxy full of sithly evil.

 

Thank you Solo. Darth Vader is quite puzzled. And Luke's 'destiny' might be complex. Thanks for the compliment and applause.

 

~EIGHT~



Palpatine?s crimson-clad minions obeyed his authoritative command immediately. The guardians with the red plasteel helms had left the cavernous throne room, and Luke Skywalker was unable to sense their means of disappearance.

The lack of sensation was alarming to Luke. Keeping track of force signatures through the fog of the dark side reminded the boy of his zero visibility approach towards Dagobah. He had clearly sensed the guards upon entrance, but the signatures fizzled out as they disappeared behind the turbolift shaft.

Even Darth Vader, slave of the Emperor for two and a half decades, was unaware of how the hands of Palpatine exited the huge room. The dark lord imagined that there was a secret passage beyond the turbolift, but he didn?t know for certain. Truth be told, the signatures simply vanished when Vader reached out with the force. He suspected that the Emperor cloaked their whereabouts by utilizing the dark side.

Presently impenetrable, the thickness of this invisible fog kept both Vader and Luke in the dark. Darth Vader was used to his curiosity being squelched by the Emperor, so he turned his attention back to Palpatine quicker than Luke.

A moment later, the boy refocused upon the ghastly Sith lord. He was a bit embarrassed when he realized that his excessive interest had gotten the better of him. Regarding his inquisitive nature as sloppy behavior, Luke returned to the business at hand by centering himself through the force. His calm demeanor intrigued the Emperor.

Probing for information once again, Luke Skywalker couldn?t extract much from either adversary. As he searched Vader?s mind, he sensed nothing but compliance for his master. This baffled Luke. Just moments ago, while Palpatine was forcing his apprentice to revisit disturbing memories, Luke had felt certain animosity within Vader?s psyche. However, the disdain was now gone. It was replaced by unwavering reverence. Luke?s advantage had vanished.

Palpatine was nearly unreadable. Luke could only detect an unbalanced delight. Yes, the Emperor would certainly take pleasure from the forthcoming confrontation. Still surprised by the Emperor?s decision to free him of his binders, Luke wondered about Palpatine?s intentions. The mental shielding was far too strong. Only actions would enlighten the boy at this point.

Luke Skywalker glowered at Palpatine?s reptilian eyes. The Emperor gleefully drank in Luke?s resentment and feasted upon the sullen gaze. The two men were locked onto each other, seemingly unaware of Darth Vader?s presence. However, their senses couldn?t ignore the dark lord?s mechanical breathing as the one and only sound within the enormous bay.

This was it.

The fate of three men would soon be decided.

Perched upon his throne, Emperor Palpatine continued to stare at the last of the Jedi Knights and spoke once more. ?I?m looking forward to completing your training? in time you shall call me master.? The words dripped of malice. Palpatine?s evil grin bore into Luke deeply, but the boy kept his steady composure.

Luke had expected to hear those words from the Emperor. And for the first time since the bunker upon Endor, Luke had a reason to speak. ?You?re mistaken.? Defiance was clear in the Jedi?s voice. ?You won?t convert me as you did Vader.?

With that sentence, it was plain for the Emperor to see that Luke had learned much from his mentors. The boy was quite aware that Vader was once a revered Jedi. Of course, this fact didn?t trouble Palpatine. He would use it to his advantage. However, there was something that did concern the Emperor.

Unbeknownst to Luke and Vader, Palpatine was bothered by the fact that the boy was brimming with confidence. The Emperor would easily find a remedy for that. A master at deception, Palpatine revealed nothing. He pretended to be merely annoyed rather than genuinely concerned.

Darth Vader couldn?t help but feel a surge of pride due to Luke?s bravery. The dark lord hid his emotion well. If Luke were to detect Vader?s satisfaction, then the secret of his heritage might potent

 

If/When the Emperor decides to drop the Vader-is/was-Anakin-Skywalker bomb Luke is going to be in for a shock.