*****Tissues advised*****
Bail Organa's hand hovered over the detonation button. A few meters closer, that was all he needed, all anyone needed. And both Sith Master and Sith Lord would be blown into oblivion.
Han pulled back against the wall holding his blaster vertical beside his face. Leia crowded his right thigh, with Luke and Chewie beside her. The smuggler raised his finger to his mouth to quiet the group.
The sounds of lightsabers on lightsabers crackled in the air. Grunts and moans followed each hit. Leia peeked her head around Han's leg. Luke stepped on his tiptoes and hung over Leia's shoulder. "That's my dad," he whispered loudly.
Chewbacca moaned as quietly as he could.
"Quiet." Han covered Luke's mouth.
The little boy shrugged off the hand and bounced on his feet.
Han looked to Chewie. "What do you think?"
Chewbacca growled a few answers as a Togruta and two Inquisitors passed their hiding spot.
"Yeah, I think you're right." Han bent down beside Leia. "Hey, I don't see your mom here. We're going to head on back around while we still c—"
"No, we can't leave. She's close." Leia's face scrunched while her eyes widened.
"How would you know. Look, little girl, we've got to get out of her before the Imperials figure—"
"Look!" Luke pointed to the throne.
"Mommy!" Leia cried, muffling her mouth were her hand.
"Wait a minute." Han turned his head back to the children. "That's Vader out there. No way I'm taking this any—"
Han couldn't hear the words from the decrepit Emperor, but he knew a death threat when he saw one. He grabbed Leia and pulled her to his chest. "Don't look. Don't look, Sweetheart."
Chewbacca grabbed Luke and pressed the boy to him. The small boy wriggled and squirmed his way free. He turned in time to see his father kneel before the Emperor.
"Let me go!" Luke yelled, shrugging off the Wookiee's arms.
The small boy ran into the chamber, straight to the dark figure. "No, Daddy, no. Don't do this!" He clutched to his father's torso.
Bail grimace as he removed his hand from the detonator.
Anakin turned to his son. "Luke, no—"
Palpatine fixed his gaze on Young Skywalker. "So, the mysterious apprentice." He looked at Padmé. "Your faces say it all. A son. You were wise to hide him, but now he is mine." He punctuated each word with spittle. "Come here, boy." The old man extended his hand.
"No," Anakin said.
"No? I think yes." Palpatine pulled his hands in front of his torso. "You hold their lives in your hands. Your life or theirs."
Anakin looked at Padmé, her eyes filled with tears, and then at his defiant son.
The Jedi behind Anakin stepped forward.
"Stop." Palpatine lifted his hand. "One more move, and they will all die."
He fell to the floor and allowed his lightsaber to roll to his master. "I am yours, my master."
Palpatine's hideous cackle filled the room once again. "Good. Good. And now, my apprentice, prove your loyalty and terminate the leaders of the Rebel Alliance."
Anakin stared at his wife once more. "Don't ask that, please, my master."
"Ah, then your son."
Anakin jerked his head to Luke. "No. I can't."
"Weak. Your compassion makes you weak. It always has." Palpatine rubbed his hands together, his heavy sleeves covering the yellowed fingernails. "Your hesitancy tells me all I need to know." Darth Sidious stretched his fingers in front of him. "It's time to let go of all you fear to lose."
Blue wisps of lightning streaked from the madman's fingertips. As the first one hit, Padmé rolled on the floor and jerked with each bolt.
"Nooo!" Anakin threw himself across the chamber with the Force. He landed on top of her, taking the Force-lightning. His back jerked and then spasmed forward. The blue bolts crackled over his armor, lighting him up. He held Padmé under him, not allowing another bolt to hit her. Bail scooted out of range of the lightning.
Palpatine walked down the steps from his throne and closed the distance between him and his apprentice. His face transformed into a hideous green. His eyes passed the threshold from yellow to red. The lightning sparked around him.
Luke took his chance while the Emperor was distracted. With the Force, he grabbed his father's lightsaber from the dais. The boy raced toward his father and the Emperor, lightsaber illuminating his path in the shadowed room.
Before he reached the Emperor, Palpatine's left hand shot back at him. Blue bolts hit the boy as he flew across the room. His small body slammed into the nearest command pod and slid down the tall tower to the floor.
When Palpatine turned back to his apprentice, he was met by four lightsabers reflecting the bolts back to the Sith Master.
"Hold them steady, Ahsoka. Don't let go."
The Togruta grunted with the effort it took.
Yoda said, "Hmm, tables turned, Sidious. And about time."
"Stop. Please stop." The Emperor lay on the floor now. His raised hand trembled. "I'm dying."
"Enough." Yoda waved his hand. "The Sith we are not."
"Thank you, my friend." Palpatine coughed, sat up, and then raised his hands, blasting the trio of Jedi across the chamber. "Fooo—"
"No, Luke!" Leia screamed as she watched her brother fly across the chamber and hit the control tower.
Han struggled with the girl as she squirmed and wriggled. "Hey, listen to me. You can't go out there."
Leia pounded her fists on his chest. When his grip strengthened, she bit his forearm.
"Oww!" Han rubbed his injury. "I can't believe you did—hey, little girl, get back here! Leia!"
The small princess in her white snowsuit ran through the chamber, taking cover at each command pod until she reached her brother's limp body. While the Jedi deflected lightning, the little girl lay prostate on her brother's torso. Tears dripped from her eyes. "No." She wept. "No."
She turned her head to her parents and the cause of all their problems. "No." This last word came out as a moan. Leia scanned the chamber, looking for anything that could make a difference. A cylindrical tube near the foot of the Imperial throne glinted in the purple twilight.
Leia extended her hand and closed her eyes in extreme concentration. She pulled in the Force as she had been taught and waited for it. Nothing. She pulled again, and again. And then it was quicker than sound straight to her hand.
As the Sith Master resumed his Force-lightning maneuvers, Leia sprinted across the chamber. She activated the blue lightsaber as she ran. Pad, pad, pad, thump, thump, thump. Closer. Almost there.
Palpatine's head turned a fraction. Almost there. She leaped forward, both hands gripping the lightsaber.
The Emperor's eyes opened wide when he saw the blue blade stick through his chest.
Yoda called from the end of the chamber, "Anakin!"
The aged Jedi Master hobbled toward the scene. Ahsoka shook Obi-Wan to consciousness. The pair followed close behind.
Anakin rolled over, his cape smoking and his body drained. Padmé pushed herself up and hung on her husband's arm. "It's not over. Let go." His crackling words extended no further than a meter.
The Chosen One crawled to his former master and placed his hands on the corpse. Master Yoda reached Anakin within seconds. "Come. All we will need."
Obi-Wan and Ahsoka reached the group a few moments later. The four Jedi circled the shriveled form.
Padmé called, "Leia!"
Bail hurried to his daughter and swooped her up in his arm before hauling her to the wall.
Padmé crawled across the floor to the still body of her son Luke while the Jedi worked arcane powers on the body of Palpatine. She pulled the small body into her arms. While brushing the hair out of his eyes, tears fell down her face. "Luke. No, Luke."
Did you know . . .
● I had originally planned for Leia to steal Han's blaster and shoot the Emperor. But ever since I wrote "The Mountain Palace" chapter I knew that Leia would be the instrument of the Force here. When I was writing the chapter, all of a sudden that lightsaber glinted in the twilight. Couldn't pass up the imagery of Leia Skywalker Organa using the Force and her father's lightsaber.
Tell me what you think . . .
● How will their lives end up now?