Fanfic / The Will of the Empire

"The Emperor is dead... long live the Emperor."

The night before the Battle of Endor, Darth Vader is subjected to a vague but absolutely undeniable premonition by the Force: if he brings his son before the Emperor, either two Sith will remain, or none will. Faced with the prospect that both Master and Apprentice will die, and Luke will survive, Vader gives a series of instruction to his most trusted officer, Firmus Piett. As he lays dying, Anakin Skywalker orders them carried out.

Three weeks later, an imperial ship arrives in the Endor system, and delivers a galaxy-altering request to the Rebel Alliance: to meet with Luke Skywalker, heir of Lord Vader, and the new Emperor of the galaxy.

And who says Anakin Skywalker can't plan?

The Will of the Empire is a Star Wars Legends Door Stopper fan fiction by CzarZelinsky that can be read here, drawing on pretty much every character and plot point in the old Expanded Universe (and some surprises from the Disney-Canon). After a long hiatus, it was officially declared cancelled on October 4, 2023.

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The Will of the Empire contains examples of the following tropes:

• Adaptational Timespan Change: The author expands the events of Return of the Jedi to about 13 days: six between rescuing Han on Tatooine and Luke reaching the Rebel fleet at Sullest (including Yoda's death in between), a couple days to relax, then four more days between Sullest and Endor with the battle occurring the following day.
• Anger Born of Worry: Leia's reaction to finding out Luke was nearly killed by Mara the day he got to Coruscant is abject fury at her brother's inability to stay out of trouble. Learning he let her live, so he can try and redeem her does not make her any happier.
• An Arm and a Leg: Lumiya gets most of her arm severed by one of the Noghri before being killed by Piett.
• Assassin Outclassin':
  • A lone Imperial officer onboard the Chimaera attempts to kill Piett and Pellaeon, but is stabbed from behind by a Noghri.
  • Luke stops a lone stormtrooper from detonating a thermal detonator between the conference between the Alliance and Admiral Piett.
  • Shortly after reaching Coruscant, Luke overcomes an assassination attempt from Mara Jade.
• Asshole Victim: While they aren't ones for wanton violence or assassination, even Yoda and Obi-Wan agree that the galaxy is better off with Lumiya dead. The same goes for most of the Imperials who get killed by Vader's orders.
• Awful Truth: Discussed by Piett, who finds it easier to believe that Luke is Vader's son than that Vader was Anakin Skywalker, who'd been idolized by some of Piett's classmates.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: Luke hopes against hope that the new Emperor isn't as bad as Palpatine. As it turns out, the new Emperor... is Luke himself.
• The Bet: During the Imperial/Rebellion meeting on Bakura, Anakin, Obi-Wan and Yoda all make a bet over how long it'll take before Luke gets faced with an assassination attempt. Obi-Wan wins, with the penalties being that Anakin has to spend time with Leia and Yoda has to teach Luke something useful (the "Art of the Small", which Luke had inadvertently used before to deal with the parasites Governor Nereus had infected him with in The Truce at Bakura; remembering this lesson later leads to him inadvertently rediscovering the Shatterpoint ability).
• Big Bad Duumvirate: Following the Battle of Endor, deaths of The Emperor and Darth Vader, subsequent purge of all the remaining Imperial leaders — such as Sate Pestage (the Grand Vizer and self-proclaimed Emperor), Ysanne Isard (the Director of Imperial Intelligence), Lumiya (Vader's Sith apprentice) and the large majority of the Grand Moffs and Grand Admirals — and with Luke about to be proclaimed Emperor, surviving Imperial loyalists and Humanocentrists have banded together under the leadership of Grand Moff Kaine and Admirals Prittick & Harrsk.
• Big Entrance: Lumiya makes her entrance at the meeting of Imperial leaders by ripping the door open and leaving several dead stormtroopers and guardsmen in her wake.
• Boom, Headshot!: Admiral Piett personally kills Lumiya by shooting her point-blank in the face.
• Call-Back: Luke's subduing of Mara Jade calls to mind how Vader battered him with telekinesis during their duel on Cloud City: battering her with rocks from opposite sides until her focus breaks.
• The Cameo: Obi-Wan's friend Dexter Jettster shows up again as the transaction for the ysalamari takes place in his diner.
• Canon Welding: The story primarily draws from Star Wars Legends, but there are a couple elements from the new Expanded Universe such as Shara Bey, the mother of Poe Dameron who reports Luke's escape from the Death Star.
• Co-Dragons: Darth Vader tasks Admiral Piett and Grand Admiral Thrawn with implementing his plan to put Luke on the Imperial throne.
• Composite Character: Maarek Stele takes the place of Rukh, Thrawn's Noghri bodyguard in The Thrawn Trilogy since Thrawn doesn't have the Noghri on his side, as well as Captain Pellaeon as Thrawn's right-hand man.
• The Consigliere: Captain Pellaeon is older and of lesser rank than Admiral Piett (he was an officer during the Clone Wars while Piett was a cadet), but Piett trusts his input and the two bounce opinions off each other several times.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Luke dresses in black and is the son of Darth Vader, yet he's the most hopelessly idealist the Galaxy has ever seen.
• Dating What Daddy Hates: Anakin is not happy to see his little princess be interested in that good-for-nothing Corellian smuggler scum. Of course, it only encourages Leia to further her relationship with Han since she wants to spite Vader for all his crimes.
• Dead Fic: The story was officially cancelled on October 4, 2023, due to a combination of factors including the author losing the storyboard that kept track of the various plot threads and losing general interest in writing the story.
• Deadly Dodging: Lumiya sidesteps a thrown vibroblade which stabs Ars Dangor instead while he tries to sneak up on Lumiya with a garotte.
• Decadent Court: Palpatine's courtiers are so greedy and corrupt that the saner Imps would rather take their chance with the former Rebel commander as new ruler.
• Decapitation Strike: To ensure Vader's plan goes through, Piett gathers most of the people likely to rival Luke's claim to the throne on Coruscant, then has the meeting attacked and them all killed.
• Defensive Feint Trap: Grand Admiral Thrawn is introduced pretending to retreat from Warlord Zsinj, only to lure him into a choke point littered with unstable Star Destroyer reactors.
• Dirty Old Man: Admiral Piett sees a teenage girl in Grand Moff Tigellinus' quarters, reminding him once again that Luke Skywalker is a safer option as Emperor.
• Don't Call Me "Sir": Leia is very uncomfortable with being called "Lady Vader" by the Noghri.
• Due to the Dead: Luke's recollection of cremating his father's remains firmly convinces Admiral Piett that Luke's character is one he can get behind.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • Piett is disgusted by Grand Moff Tigellinus taking a teenage girl into his bed.
  • One of Grand Admiral Thrawn's subordinates is taken aback when Thrawn mentions that Admiral Zsinj had his own mother hunted down and killed.
• Evil Power Vacuum: As in canon, one of these starts to break out with the death of Emperor Palpatine, but this time around Darth Vader conspires to fill this and minimize a Succession Crisis as much as possible... with a chunk of Imperial forces backing Luke Skywalker.
• A Form You Are Comfortable With: This possibly explains why Yoda is shown carrying his gimer walking stick even though he doesn't actually need it as a Force ghost. When Obi-Wan appears to Mara Jade on Endor, he appears as he did when Anakin fell to the Dark Side.
• For Want Of A Nail: Oh Force yes; part of Vader's plan involves ordering the death of everyone who might threaten Luke, so a lot of big name villains from the Legends-era Expanded Universe get axed before they have a chance to cause any of their canonical damage. Lumiya and Isard, for example, are both killed in the second chapter, just to give an idea.
• Good Is Not Soft: Luke did grow up on Tatooine while the Hutts were running the planet as their own personal turf, if you care to remember.
• Gutted Like a Fish:
  • Grand Admiral Tigellinus is slashed open by Lumiya during the crossfire.
  • Ysanne Isard is cut open by one of the Noghri, who nearly rips her heart out.
• Hero with Bad Publicity: Luke himself, thanks to Imperial propaganda painting him as a war criminal who murdered thousands by destroying the Death Star. And now he has to bring all these Imperials together under his banner.
• Hope Bringer: Vader notes that Luke serves as this for both the Jedi and the Sith. Just on the dark side, Luke is Vader's only chance to destroy the Emperor, while for the Emperor, Luke is a worthy replacement for Vader.
• How We Got Here: Chapter 2 features a good chunk of how Piett executed the purge of the hostile Imperial leadership before heading to Endor to find Luke as shown in Chapter 1.
• I Did What I Had to Do: Even as a ghost Anakin isn't exactly apologetic about the rounds of mass killing he set off with his death. He declares he'd have them killed even after his Heel–Face Turn.
• Internal Reveal: Vader intercepts the messenger droid headed to Honoghr and alters the message to admit the Awful Truth that the Empire has left the Noghri to suffer.
• Keystone Army: It's mentioned that part of the appeal of taking down Emperor Palpatine was the fact that he kept the Empire together and it would split apart should he die.
• Killed Offscreen: While The Purge of the worst Imperial leaders depicts Lumiya and Ysanne Isard's deaths on-page, the same can't be said for Sate Pestage whose death is merely reported.
• Last Villain Stand: Roganda Imarsen fought very hard when Piett's assassins came for her, killing three Noghri before dying.
• Life Debt: The Noghri cite one of these when they declare their allegiance to Luke and Leia, marking similarities with Wookies.
• Like Parent, Like Spouse: Boyfriend example. Obi-Wan reminds Anakin that a lot of things that he dislikes about Han are characteristics he shares with him, such as skills as a pilot and generally being a scoundrel.
• Lured into a Trap: Piett gets much of the Imperial bigwigs into the same room for his Decapitation Strike under pretense of revealing the circumstances behind Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader's deaths. Specifically he invited Lumiya.
• Make Way for the New Villains: Discussed as the Alliance initially believes that the Decapitation Strike is the new Emperor cleaning house as a prelude for someone more ugly and vile than Palpatine.
• Meaningful Name: Task Force Veré, Vader's detachment avowed to protect Luke's right to the throne, is named for a star-crossed lover in Naboo mythology. It's also the alias Padme used when she married Anakin.
• Missing Mom: Bail Organa kept his mouth shut about Luke and Leia's mother even to Mon Mothma, and it's only because Artoo recognized Pooja Naberrie that Luke learned who his mother was.
• Moral Event Horizon: invoked Maarek Stele invokes this while speaking with Mara Jade by citing that the destruction of Alderaan was a point where the Empire's actions could not be justified.
• Morality Chain: Discussed. While looking back, Obi-Wan believes that Anakin's fall to the Dark Side was delayed by his attachments: his love for Padme, comradeship and friendship with Obi-Wan, his master and apprentice bond with Ahsoka, and his faith in the Republic and the Jedi Order. All these were eroded by Palpatine one way or another through the Clone Wars.
• Mouth of Sauron: Piett has an unnamed bureaucrat who declares the assassinations of Pestage, Isard, and others an accident.
• The Mutiny:
  • During Chapter 2, a large chunk of the 237th Assault Battalion attempted to take over the Chimaera but is defeated by the Noghri and the company of 501st onboard; the Noghri then wipe out everyone else who was involved with the mutiny. The battalion is disbanded and the survivors transferred to other military units.
  • Earlier in that chapter, an unnamed Imperial officer attempts to kill Piett and Pellaeon after the briefing, but is outmaneuvered by a Noghri.
• Off with His Head!: Grand Admiral Syn has his head ripped off by a Wookiee bounty hunter.
• Old Soldier: Commander Cody is still on active duty by the time of the Battle of Endor and being a Fett clone grown at twice the normal human rate, is considerably older than other soldiers.
• Parents Walk In at the Worst Time: Anakin's ghost first appears to Leia right as she's about to get very busy with Han, and a later comment by the Corellian reveals he just won't stop doing it — probably because he can't stand Han so he constantly cockblocks him.
• Price on Their Head: Part of Vader's scheme involves having massive bounties placed on everyone he feels would be a major threat to Luke's claim on the throne, and all the significantly corrupt officers and moffs, to be paid out of his considerable fortune. This being The Empire the result is important Imperials dropping by the thousands in a matter of weeks, and leaving Luke a clean(er) slate to build off of.
• The Purge:
  • In addition to the Decapitation Strike listed above, Piett takes steps to have every other potential threat to Luke's claim hunted down and eliminated.
  • After a failed mutiny aboard the Chimaera, the Noghri eliminate anyone who was indirectly involved.
• Put on a Bus: Chewbacca spends most of the first half of the story visiting his family back home on Kashyyyk.
• Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: The Rebels' reaction to learning Vader, of all people, has a son: nobody can imagine any woman willingly touching him, but they don't put it past Vader to force himself on someone. Luke is fairly confident this didn't happen (and the audience knows it didn't) but the thought still shakes him.
• Reluctant Ruler: Luke is extremely unhappy to learn he has been named as the legal heir to the Empire, but since the Empire crumbling could mean further destruction, instability and death for the Galaxy, he has no choice but accept the job.
• Running Gag:
  • More than a few people are left utterly flabbergasted to learn about Vader's child, and who exactly this child is.
  • Luke dreaming about resurrecting his father in order to personally kill him for saddling him with the Empire.
  • Anakin being annoyed about how Yoda has his walking stick even though he's a spirit.
• Secret-Keeper: Mon Mothma admits she knew the truth about Luke and Leia, which Bail Organa told her when Leia was first elected to the Imperial Senate.
• Short-Lived Leadership:
  • Darth Vader's reign as Emperor lasts for about as long as it takes from the Emperor's throne room to the shuttlebay, which is just enough for him to establish a line of succession after he passes.
  • Sate Pestage, who took the Imperial throne on Coruscant, lasts about 12 days in power before being killed in Piett's Decapitation Strike.
• Skewed Priorities: While Piett's Decapitation Strike is going on, some of the assassination targets attempt their own assassinations instead of trying to take on the opposition.
• Smoke Out: More like a Smoke In when Piett's Decapitation Strike is announced with a series of smoke bombs just before the shooting starts.
• Spared by the Adaptation: Firmus Piett had died in the original Battle of Endor when the Executor went down. Here, as part of his plan, Vader orders him transferred to another ship to escape with his orders if things go badly. Piett even acknowledges it saved his life.
• Speak Ill of the Dead: Anakin makes a couple jokes at General Grievous' expense after Luke beats Mara and takes her lightsaber, specifically his lightsaber trophy-hunting and his cough.
• Spirit Advisor: Obi-Wan, Yoda and Anakin all stick around as spirits and take much more active roles in advising Luke and Leia than they did in Legends canon, Anakin in particular giving Luke information on various Imperials he meets in order to better his chances of survival against them (in some cases) or gaining their aid (in others). Obi-Wan also appears to Mara Jade on Endor when Luke sends her on a quest to understand Anakin and Vader, a quest which probably would have involved Anakin and Yoda at other points.
• Stunned Silence: The bridge crew of the Chimaera is struck dumb when Vader reveals that Luke is his son.
• Succession Crisis: As in canon, Palpatine had not named an official heir "but it was generally understood that in such an event, it was Lord Vader who would take the throne." In this case, on the eve of the Battle of Endor, Vader himself decides to take steps to avoid a succession crisis and ensure that the Empire ends up in the right hands, first by declaring himself the Emperor's official successor and that, in the event of his own demise, his chosen heir — his son, Luke Skywalker — will take the throne next. The trope is discussed by Piett and Pellaeon not long after, bringing up how Luke will face challengers to the throne, and that Vader has set things up to deal with the issue by eliminating any others (like Ysanne Isard, Sate Pestage and certain dissenting Moffs) who might try to seize control from Luke; these orders go into effect when he contacts Admiral Piett (who'd remained in charge of the fleet but was transferred to another Star Destroyer in order to increase his odds of survival) during his dying moments. By the time Luke himself finds out, most if not all other potential claimants have been dealt with.
• That Man Is Dead: When Isard calls Lumiya by her real name Shira Brie, Lumiya snarls that her former name no longer has any meaning for her.
• This Is Gonna Suck: During Piett's briefing of Task Force Veré, a number of the officers go silent; these are all from the bridge crew and they all known who the new Emperor is and what the implications are.
• Thrown Out the Airlock: Piett threatens to jettison any officer who compromises the secrecy of his briefing.
• Undying Loyalty: Pretty much the only reason Piett goes along with Vader's plan to make Luke the Emperor is his personal loyalty towards the man. The author even admits he may be Flanderizing that trait for the sake of making the plot work.
• Unexpected Successor: The Jedi Knight who blew up the first Death Star and is one of the most famed Rebel commanders as the new Emperor? Absolutely no one did see it coming, not even Luke himself.
• Unskilled, but Strong: The general assessment on Luke: he has a lot of power and potential in the Force and as a duelist, but hasn't had much training and is inexperienced with using it.
• Villain Has a Point: Obi-Wan concedes that Palpatine was correct in his advice to Anakin that to feel anger is to be human and there is nothing wrong with that in and of itself.
• Villains Never Lie:
  • Even if the idea of Vader being related to a Jedi Rebel completely blows his mind, Piett believes it as Vader was known for his relentless Brutal Honesty.
  • Vader sees it as a point of pride that he has never lied to Luke at any point.
• Weak, but Skilled: Anakin's assessment of Mara Jade; while not as powerful as Luke, she has a lot more experience and training.
• What Measure Is a Mook?: Commodore Kovacs is the most ardent voice in Azure Hammer Command against negotiating with Luke, embittered by the deaths of his cousins onboard the Death Star.
• What You Are in the Dark: Discussed by the Noghri when they learn of the Empire's deceit; despite Vader using them for the Empire's gain and doing nothing to help them, he told them the truth even when he could have taken it to his grave, and that is at least enough to give Luke and Leia some benefit of the doubt.
• You Could Have Used Your Powers for Good!: Piett is almost sad about killing Grand Admiral Makati since he's sure he would back Luke if told, but Piett can't risk Makati telling anyone else about the Decapitation Strike.

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