Power

10.

I walk into the hallway of the Star Destroyer to see Maro waiting for me. He stands almost six and a half feet tall now, muscles rippling along his body. He wears special purge armor, no helmet covering his face, with a rifle holstered on his back. A scar runs through his left eye and almost to his chin. He stares back at my new self, no mask covering my face either. We both stand in silence, staring at each other.

"Immortality, incredible new power in the force for you, and enhanced senses and battle skill for me. Now that they have two super soldiers running their missions, do you think the Empire will ever lose?" He asks, cracking a small grin. I roll my eyes and shove his arm, though he doesn't move.

"Glad to see you haven't yet lost your sense of humor, Maro." I say as we begin to walk down the hall.

"Do you ever wonder why the Emperor made the choice he did? I mean, what if it didn't work? He was just willing to let us die like that?" I glance at him with only my eyes and slowly shake my head.

"It was for the good of the Empire, we need to remember that." He nods as we arrive at the command center. The soldiers that look at us and quickly divert their eyes, whisper to one another. We walk to the front windows.

"Vader has almost completed construction of the new Death Star." We both look out to stare at the battle station. "They say it'll be more powerful than the first."

"The last Death Star, Vader had me involved in every aspect. Now I feel like all we do is run petty missions." Maro nods.

"It's like they're hiding something." I look over at him. I close my eyes and breathe.

"The Emperor just entered the Death Star." I furrow my eyebrows and turn my head. "But there's something else, something within Vader. Indifference, he longs for his children." Maro stares at me. "This could turn the tide of the war. Vader's loyalty, it's faltering."

"Darth Verloren, Commander Maro." Vader says from the comms in front of us.

"Yes, Lord Vader." I say.

"You both will be meeting me on the Death Star, I sense the rebels are arriving on Endor. I have Luke Skywalker with me now." I nod and we both head to my ship. Maro and I fly down to the battle station mostly in silence.

"Do you ever feel like that day on Mustafar opened your eyes? Like truly opened them, peeled back the veil of the Emperor?" I ask him, he sits in silence as he pilots the ship.

"Yes, I know what you mean. But don't speak that way, you must remember where your loyalty stands." I nod and think of my father, of what he wrote in the journal I found within Obi-Wan's home. The truth is, I don't truly know where my loyalties stand.

...

We arrive on the Death Star at the same time as Vader's shuttle. Vader walks out followed by Luke Skywalker. Maro and I glance at each other. I look over at Luke and Vader to see the ghost of Mace Windu standing beside them, but after a few blinks he is gone. Vader stares at me, watching my movements intently.

"Lord Verloren, Commander Maro. This is my son, Luke." Vader tells us. As Maro and I follow Luke and Vader through the halls of the Death Star in silence, Luke attempts to talk Vader out of the dark side, but it appears to be to no avail. But I have spent a long time with Vader, I can sense his feelings better then no other. I can feel the contempt within him, the wavering uncertainty. Maro and I follow the two into the Emperor's chambers.

I stand lost in my own mind as Sidious reveals his grand plan to Luke. My mind wanders back to that day in the Temple, when my father saved me from death by the Empire. It continues on to the death of Darth Maul, to Master Windu's words spoken from beyond in my bed chambers. It sees the words of my father from his journal.

Maybe I should save her, from this wretched life under the Empire's watch. Maybe she deserves more than this life of darkness I have casted over it.

I look up at the Emperor as he uses the Death Star to destroy a rebel ship. I remember the moment in which he risked my own life to achieve greatness for himself. I remember when he used my own father as a pawn in his game, just as he used me. Luke lashes out at Sidious but is deflected by Vader, they begin to battle one another, but my focus remains on the Emperor.

Flashes of the clones under his command slaughtering my family at the Jedi Temple, driving my father to madness and causing his obsession with Master Kenobi that ended in his demise.

"Kill your father, Luke. Take his place as Lord Vader." Sidious says to the young boy. My eyes, blazing red, divert to Vader and I can feel the betrayal within him. A man the Emperor corrupted just as I to play out his master plan. Sidious begins to hit Luke with lighting when Vader puts himself between it instead, making his choice to betray the Emperor. In one movement, I ignite my saber and throw it, it lodges itself in Sidious's stomach. He looks down in shock as his hands fall to his sides. i force run to him as he collapses to the ground.

"You took..." I say, shoving the saber in further. "Everything from me." I remove the saber and he cries out, I lift him with the force and throw him with a scream of pain over the balcony and into the reactor shaft. I breathe heavily, my body seething with energy. Luke rushes to his father while Maro runs to me and drops his weapon as I fall to the floor.

"Look at me." He says, grabbing my face. "Hey, remember? Match my breathes." A memory of Tatooine floods my mind, I breathe with him until I feel my eyes fade. He falls to the floor in front of me, letting a smile through. "Well, Darth Verloren, you just saved the galaxy." I meet his eyes and let out a breath.

"Come with me. I couldn't save my father, but I will save both of you." I hear Luke say, I look over at him.

"You want to save two of the deadliest Imperial Agents?" I say to him, he studies me for a moment.

"I can feel the good in both of you, like I felt in Vader. And he's right, you just saved the galaxy from the wrath of the Emperor. Let's go before this thing blows."