Chapter Text
White was Luke’s least favorite color. His whole life, all he could remember at least, was white. White walls, white ceilings, white furniture, all in stark contrast to black marble floors, in almost every room he was permitted to enter. White tunics and robes meant to set him apart from others, to show that he was in fact, special. It made him stand out sorely in any crowd, aside from Storm Troopers, and most egregiously in the Throne Room. It was the biggest room not painted in white that Luke could enter, and it was all black. The floors, the throne itself, and the dark reach of space behind it, were all black. The Emperor himself was always adorned in black, perched atop his throne, watching like some sort of bird of prey. At least, Luke thought that would be what a bird of prey looked like, he had never seen one to actually know. And when Luke was in the throne room, he knew all eyes were on him because of his stark white outfits.
“Where they belong, if they even deserve to gaze upon you. You shine as bright as a supernova, they should look upon you with reverence,” the Emperor told him once. Still, Luke hated the gaze of the men that came to the throne room. Grand Moffs, Governors, and the like, always staring at Luke as if he were something to be won. It was not lost on Luke that this was about more than Luke’s appearance. Luke was, after all, the youngest Supreme Commander in the short history of the Empire, and he was the proud commander of the Star Dreadnought Nova, the largest and most powerful Vessel to have ever been crafted in the Empire. And at first, Luke had heard the whispers that it was an act of favoritism, and Luke would be unable to prove himself in matters of battle or diplomacy. Luke proved them all wrong, as a master tactician and a charismatic entertainer he has won great battles and worked treaties between warring systems, bringing all into the fold of the Empire. Small men, after all, needed those who were great to lead them.
“You and I were blessed to be something great. Greater than any other living thing Luke, do you feel it? The Force exploding in you, singing through your veins?” Luke could feel it. No one could do the things he could do, no one could wield the Force the way he could. Luke could move mountains, he could read minds as easily as breathing.
Yet, he felt lack. A deep, stinging pain he felt any time he tried to remember being a child, or anytime the Emperor made him kneel, to become something smaller. The Emperor always made Luke feel small. Luke felt a lack of joy, he had never danced or laughed or even really talked to anyone. All his thoughts were kept in his head, except when the Emperor rifled through them, so even then his thoughts were not his own. All Luke knew was the Imperial Palace, a few spaceports he had seen, and of course the inside of the Nova. It cut him deep as he heard stories passed around of adventure and of life.
Today, as he stood beside the throne, Luke heard Grand Moff Tarkin describe Mon Cala and the people there. He described them as if they were nothing, as if they were disposable. Yet everything further Luke heard sounded pleasant, full of interest and life. He wished for a moment that he could have been there, but quickly corrected those thoughts. He wished he could’ve been there for the glory, to more efficiently occupy the ocean planet.
“They come naturally to subjugation. I am sure this will bring you pleasure, Emperor.” Grand Moff Tarkin concluded his rambling. The Emperor glanced for a moment at Luke, Luke felt a familiar icy cold fear run through his vein, before looking back down at the Grand Moff.
“Dismissed.” He croaked unceremoniously. Luke watched the Grand Moff’s face twist from its smug grin into momentary shock and anger, back into an uneasy smile. He could feel the Grand Moff’s emotions resonating through the force. The man was angry, he was beyond upset that he could be so easily written off. Were his accomplishments not enough? The man’s eyes flitted to Luke and Luke could feel the new emotions. Resentment, hatred. ‘We can’t all fuck our way to the top.’ Luke said nothing, but gave a serene smile. The man pivoted on his heel and left, leaving the Emperor and Luke alone again. Luke quickly busied himself looking out the window of the Throne room into the depths of space, but he could feel the Emperor come to his side.
“Pathetic, forceless men, do anything to impress us. They hunger for our power, they wish to take it. To destroy us,” the Emperor said, caressing Luke’s hair. Like cast a sidelong glance at him, then focused again on the stars. What all was out there? What beauty would Luke never see?
“All of those stars, they all are surrounded with people like the Grand Moff, Supernova. They are hungry, starving to take our power. They cannot handle such responsibility, my Supernova. They would crumble under its weight. We must protect them from themselves, from this notion of ‘freedom.’” The Emperor explained. Freedom was a concept entirely unfamiliar to Luke. He wondered how it felt to have not a care in the world. To feel the wind in your hair. To be free.
“And that is why we guide the flock. As kind shepherds.” Luke said, mimicking something the Emperor had told him long ago. His Master smiled, a terrifying, decrepit look.
“Precisely right, Supernova. Now, come sit back again. We have one more guest before dinner. I think you will like this.”
Luke did as he was told and took his place next to the throne, this time kneeling next to his Master. It was not long until another Grand Moff came into the room. Luke was more familiar with this one — Grand Moff Gideon. Luke only knew him from the constant anger of his Master, as Gideon failed time and again to return Force Sensitive children.
“Speak.” Was all the Emperor said. Gideon trembled as he fell to his knees in front of Luke’s Master. He looked up with a pleading look, as if begging for mercy before he had even spoken. Grand Moff Gideon began stammering, stuttering and tripping over his own tongue, and Luke could see the increasing look of rage on the Emperor’s face, “Spit it out or be gone, Moff Gideon.”
“Your Majesty, the child is,” Gideon took a deep breath, “that same Mandalorian has stolen away with the child once again. Sire, I respectfully request more aid assigned to my mission,” Gideon finally said, his whole body trembling. The Emperor barked out a laugh, cold and cruel as the vacuum of space.
“More aid? More aid, Grand Moff Gideon? WHy have you been allowed to rise so high within my ranks being as incompetent as you are?” The Emperor paused, looking at Luke as if to share a secret. Like some sort of inside joke that only they would get would be received by Luke, “You have already been given a star destroyer and ten thousand troops to aid you, if the task is simply too difficult for you then it shall be passed along. And then you will be useless to me. DO you know what I do with things that are Useless to me, Moff Gideon?”
The Moff looked up, now pressing his face near to the ground as he groveled. Truly a pathetic sight. But, the Moff knew what it was to leave this place, to be more than an accessory, and so even if the Emperor killed him now, Luke would forever envy him and his kind.
“Supernova,” the EMperor crooned. Luke nearly jumped out of his own skin, this had never occurred, never had he been addressed before in this way. He glanced up at the Emperor, preparing to be forced to kill Moff Gideon, but relief came when the EMperor spoke again, “You’ve been trained long enough, my little bird, now it is the time to show me your true power. Moff Gideon,” the Emperor’s gaze turned back to Gideon, who was staring slackjawed at Luke, “your incompetence may have given my Nova his chance to shine in the darkness of the outer rim. The Supernova shall aid in your search for the child, but know this, if he returns to me with even a single hair out of place, I will see you, all of your men, and all of their families destroyed, do you understand?” Gideon was nodding frantically.
“Yes, Sire, I understand perfectly clear,” Gideon said, pushing himself back onto his wobbly legs. Like a newborn deer, something Luke had only ever seen in Holovids.
“Good, now leave us. There is much for me to discuss with the Supernova before he may come to your aid.” It took not even a moment longer for Gideon to scrambled out of the throne room and for the EMperor to turn to Luke.
“Master?” Luke asked softly, praying he would not draw his Master;s ire by speaking first.
“Rise, my songbird,” THe Emperor said. Luke gracefully rose to his feet, a much prettier showing than the Moff coming up from his grovelling, “For years I have held you, I have kept you safe in my sight, always. You have known no fear, no hardship, no pain, but now I know you are ready for your next challenge. The force sings with you, the force finds a home in you, now you must use it to bring me another successor. Another child who can sit beside you, I, and Vader as the seats of power in the Galaxy.” THe EMperor began to ramble on, in a way he often did. Luke was ready to listen for hours, if necessary, to him drone on and on about their power, and the lie of freedom. The Emperor stopped, though, and stood up. He came to Luke and caressed his face.
“You will go and find a very special child and you will bring him back here, where we will train him together in the ways of the Dark Side, do you understand, Songbird?”
“Yes, Master.”