On the Wings of Valkyrie

Chapter CLVI

"Now, Lord Vader, where is that little Shadow of yours?" the Emperor questioned. "I would have expected her presence considering the circumstances.... Ah, I see, you left her outside. An odd choice, my former apprentice. I had been looking forward to speaking with dear Luna. It has been so very long." The Sith Master's lips curled into a smile that sent danger warnings through Vader's mind. He resisted the urge to poke at Luna through the bond to see how she was doing, knowing that as of yet, she was fine, and considering Palpatine didn't expect her absence, was likely safer for it. Whether or not that would have a poor impact on Vader and Luke was yet to be determined. "Matters little, my Hands will ensure she joins us, eventually."

"Your abominations are no match for my apprentice, Palpatine," Vader growled, struggling to resist the invading inky darkness that was the Emperor's presence. It was worse here, within a nexus of the darkside where the Sith Master's powers were amplified to a degree that it was doubtful any intention could be hidden from him. Vader was trying to shelter Luke from the pull, the siren-like song, but the Dark Lord couldn't be sure if he was succeeding.

"Oh, perhaps not, but they don't particularly need to be. They only need numbers, your apprentice shall fall, and they will bring her to me."

"They will fail."

"Oh no, Lord Vader. It is you who will fail," Palaptine countered, his voice filled with smooth malevolence. The Sith Lord attempted to fight back his worry without recalling all the reasons for his decision.

"You're afraid," Luke said, interrupting the conversation. He sounded strangely calm as his Force presence brightened with understanding, seemingly having seen something in the Emperor that Vader had missed. "You fear us. You fear our power." His son took a step forward, confidence radiating from him. "You fear Father for his rejection of your ways. You fear me, and what I am capable of. You speak of my sister, but you fear Luna more than either of us. The fact we are here without her terrifies you even more, because you know that her absence is a promise that we will be victorious."

Vader glanced between his son and former master, silently wishing Luke would remain quiet and in doing so hopefully keep the Emperor's attention away from him while also wondering if the boy was actually on to something. Considering Palpatine seemed to have been caught off guard, it might be possible provided the older Sith was not faking his reaction. Was the Emperor truly afraid of them? It could work to their advantage....but a Sith's power often came from fear. It was a double edged blade that could be used to their advantage or be their undoing.

"Oh no, young Skywalker. You will find that you are quite mistaken," Palpatine growled, signaling the Imperial Sovereign Protectors forward with a small movement of his fingers. Vader frowned as the Protectors moved, noticing that their presences were strong in the Force—stronger than usual for members within the Force user subsects of the Emperor's Red Guards. Furthermore, it was clear they were more of Palpatine's abominations considering how the Force struggled to free itself from them. They also felt a bit familiar if he ignored the wrongness of their presences, meaning that these were likely men the Sith Lord had helped train over the years at the Imperial Royal Guard Academy and had either volunteered for the enhancement of their existing Force sensitivity or just the enhancement of Force sensitivity in general (a notion that enraged the Dark Lord on a number of levels) as not all Sovereign Protectors were Force sensitive. Usually the Sovereign Protectors would be about the level of a Dark Jedi, perhaps slightly more advanced if they came out of a sect other than the standard Red Guards, but now they were certainly on the level of proper Sith. Vader had fought Jedi who were stronger but that wouldn't matter much considering Palpatine was likely using the guards as a distraction, biding his time for an opening.

Either that, or he was going to use his trick from Shu-Torun. Possess one of his guards and fight in that way. Luke wouldn't stand a chance if that were to happen....though it was likely that as of that moment, Palpatine didn't want the boy dead considering how much of a waste it would be. With that being said, Vader wasn't about to depend on the Emperor's desire for Luke as an apprentice to keep the young Jedi alive. The Dark Lord was going to have to keep an eye on his former master while getting rid of the fledgling Sith.

Father and son shifted into true fighting stances. A moment later, the guards attacked. Vader blocked two pikes with his blade, using the Force to shove a number of the Protectors back to give Luke more breathing room, before swinging around to cut through the chest of one of the attackers as he pulled on the Force to snap the neck of another. At the Sith's side, Luke was doing something similar, blocking a vibroblade and a pike while using what looked to be Force lightning to all but obliterate a third attacker through sheer power alone. Considering there was nothing dark about the boy's Force presence, Vader could only assume that his son had managed to rediscover the rather forbidden Jedi power of Electric Judgement. Until further discussion, this would be blamed on Luna.

The Dark Lord turned his attention back to the guards, cutting one of the Protectors in half and taking the saber pike for his own, whacking an incoming Protector with the metal end of the weapon with enough force to break ribs were the guard not protected by armor. Vader quickly caught several blades on the length of pike, slashing at the guards with his saber while their weapons were otherwise engaged. Some managed to block, others did not. The Sith heard a blaster go off behind him, but considering the responding grunt of pain did not come from Luke, he opted to ignore the development until a laser blast came towards him. Vader simply deflected it at one of the Protectors who in turn deflected it into a nearby wall, allowing just enough time for the Sith Lord to impale the guard with his lightsaber before spinning on the next adversary.